California voters defeated a measure that would have established a two-year budget cycle for the state and made a host of other changes to state and local budgeting, including giving the governor unilateral power to cut spending during fiscal crises.

Proponents said Proposition 31 was necessary to improve efficiency and transparency in government spending, while opponents called it an overreach that would exacerbate government gridlock. Voters apparently agreed, easily defeating the ballot measure 60 percent to 40 percent, with 98 percent of precincts reporting Wednesday morning.

Just how far-reaching Prop. 31's proposed changes were stirred debate over the measure.

The major parts of the proposition would have:

-- Created a two-year state budget cycle instead of the current one-year spending plan.

-- Allowed the governor to unilaterally cut state spending in some instances during fiscal emergencies.

-- Prohibited the Legislature from passing bills that increased state spending or decreased revenue by more than $25 million without equivalent tax increases or spending cuts.

-- Allowed local governments to create their own ways of following state laws and thus allowed them to use state tax dollars without adhering to state laws or regulations. Local governments also would have had new authority to allocate property tax dollars.

-- Required state and local governments to evaluate the effectiveness of tax-funded programs.

-- Required that all bills and amendments to be publicly available at least three days before they were voted on by lawmakers.

The measure consistently trailed by a large margin in polls leading up to election day.